Sewing machine whereby stitches forming various patterns can be produced automatically



Oct. 17, 1961 E. FLUCKIGER 3,

SEWING MACHINE WHEREBY STITCHES FORMING VARIOUS PATTERNS CAN BE PRODUCEDAUTOMATICALLY Filed April 16; 1958 27a 27c 27d 27:

United States Patent 3,005,136 SEWING MACHINE WHEREBY STITCHES FORM- INGVARIOUS PATTERNS CAN BE PRODUCED AUTOMATICALLY Ernst Fliickiger, Geneva,s'witzerlanmassignor to Mefina S.A., Fribourg, Switzerland, :1 firm ofSwitzerland Filed Apr. 16, 1958, Ser. No. 728,823 Claims priority,application Switzerland May 9, 1957 4 Claims. (Cl. 318-119) The presentinventionrelates to a control device, especially for a sewing machinewhereby stitches forming various patterns .can be producedautomatically, and wherein at least one of the two effectiveelementsneedle bar and work feed device-is subjected to the action ofsaid control device which is intended to locate the exact position atwhich the needle penetrates the work.

This control device comprises a digital programme controller furnishingelectric signals, a series of electromagnets to which the said signalsare transmitted, a series of mobile abutments controlled by the saidelectromagnets and each adapted to occupy two positions, a withdrawnposition and a working position, and finally a slidable control memberwhich is connected mechanically tothe said element--needle bar or workfeed device-and is subjected to the action of a driving member whichdisplaces it in the one or the other direction, the said control membercomprising arresting surfaces with which the aforesaid mobile abutmentscooperate and which are so arranged that each mobile abutment determinestwo stopping positions of the control member depending on whether thelatter has come into contact with the abutment when being displaced inone direction or the other.

One form of embodiment of the subject of the invention and a modifiedform of embodiment are illustrated by way of example in the accompanyingdrawings.

FIGURE 1 is a sectional view of part of a sewing machine, showing onlythose elements which are necessary for the understanding of theinvention.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of a detail of FIGURE 1, on a smaller scale.

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of a further detail of FIG- URE l, likewise on asmaller scale, and,

FIGURE 4 is a diagrammatic elevational view of a detail of a modifiedform of embodiment.

The machine illustrated comprises a needle 1 fixed to a needle-carryingbar 2, which itself is mounted in a cradle 3. The latter is articulatedon a pin 4 belonging to the frame of the machine. The needle couldequally well be mounted in a known so-called pendulum-type arrangement.An arm 3a of the cradle 3 is connected, by a rod 5, to a control member6 which is mounted so as to be slidable on the frame 7 of the machineand which can be displaced in reciprocating movement.

The movements of the control member 6 in one direction or the other areproduced by two electromagnets 8 and 9 respectively. The amplitude ofthese displacements is limited by one or other of a series of rods 10,11, 12 fast with the plunger cores of three electromagnets 13, 14 and 15respectively. These rods are each adapted to occupy either a withdrawnposition or a working position in which they each penetrate into one ofa series of three holes 16, 17 and 18 formed in the control member 6.These holes are of difierent diameters and each determines two distinctpositions of the member 6 when the corresponding rod is in the workingposition, depend ing on the direction in which the member 6 has beendisplaced in order to bring the edge of the hole to abut against therod. These holes thus determine six different positions of the member 6,to which are added the two extreme left-hand and right-hand positionswhich it can occupy when all the rods are in the withdrawn position.

3,005,136 I Patented Oct. 17,1961

The diiferent electro-magnets 8 and 9, and 13 to 15 are energised by acurrent source 19, connected by a wire 20, and a frictional contact 21to a ring 22 surrounding a plate 23 made of insulating material. Smallcon tact rods 24 are housed in this plate 23. A perforated disc 25 restson the ring 22. Finally, five electrical contacts 26a to 26e areconnected, by wires 27a to 27 respectively, to the electromagnets 8 and9 and 13 to 15.

Depending on the arrangement of the perforations 28 formed in the disc25, some of the small rods 24 are in electrical contact therewith whilstothers are insulated therefrom. The plate 23 carrying the disc 25 beingentrained rotationally by the motor of the machine through the agency ofa mechanism not illustrated in the draw-: ings, the small rods which arecharged supply current .to the corresponding electromagnets whenthefsaid rods pass opposite the contacts 26.

The machine will comprise a plurality of discs 25 havingpdifferentperforations, which will be readily intermodify the and could bereplaced by-a dilferent mechanism, whereas the electromagnets 12 to 15are selectors for the position which the control member 6 is to occupy.

The control device which is described and illustrated could be appliedto the work feed device 29 (FIGURE 4) instead of being applied to theneedle. In this case it would be advantageous not to control the workfeed device directly but to control an intermediate selector memberknown in the sewing machine field, for determining the amplitude of themovements of the work feed device which are produced by the motor of themachine.

What I claim is: I

1. In a control device for controlling the position of a machineelement, especially for controlling the position of the needle bar or ofthe work feed device of a sewing machine, a digital programme controllerfurnishing electric signals, a series of electromagnets to which thesaid signals are transmitted, a seriesof mobile abutments controlled bythe said electromagnets and each adapted to occupy two positions, awithdrawn position and a working position, a slidable control memberwhich is connected mechanically to the said element which is to becontrolled and finally a driving member operatively connected to saidcontrol member displacing it in the one or the other direction, the saidcontrol member comprising arresting surfaces distributed as a number ofpairs, the two surfaces of each pair facing each other, each of theaforesaid mobile abutments cooperating with one pair of the saidarresting surfaces, more precisely with one or with the other surface ofthe said pair, depending on the direction in which the said controlmember is moving at the instant when the said abutment comes into itsworking position, whereby each mobile abutment determines two stoppingpositions of the control member.

2. tin a control device for controlling the position of a machineelement, especially for controlling the position of the needle bar or ofthe work feed device of a sewing machine, a digital programme controllerfurnishing electric signals, a series of electromagnets to which thesaid signals are transmit-ted, a series of mobile abutments controlledby the said electromagnets and each adapted to occupy two positions, awithdrawn position and a working position, a slidable control memberwhich is connected mechanically to the said element which is to becontrolled and finally a driving member operatively connected to saidcontrol member for displacing it in the one or the other'direction, thesaid control member being formed with perforations into each of whichone of the said mobile abutments is adapted to penetrate, and whosediametrically opposite lateral walls constitute arresting surfaces forsaid abutments, whereby each mobile abutment determines two stoppingpositions of the control member depending on whether the latter has comeinto contact with the abutment when being displaced in one direction orthe other.

3. In a control device for controlling the position of a machineelement, especially for controlling the posi- .said control member formoving it respectively in one direction or the other, the said controlmember comprising arresting surfaces distributed as a number of pairs,the two surfaces of each pair facing each other, .each of the aforesaidmobile abutments cooperating with one pair of the said arrestingsurfaces, more precisely with one or with the other surface of the saidpair, depending on the direction in which the said control memher ismoving at the instant when the said abutment comes into its workingposition, whereby each mobile abutment determines two stopping positionsof the control member.

4. In a control device for controlling the position of a machineelement, especially for controlling the position of the needle bar or ofthe work feed device of a sewing machine, a rotatable perforated discconstituting a digital programme controller, electrical contactscontrolled by said disc, a series of electromagnets operated by saidcontacts, a series of mobile abutments controlled by said electromagnetsand each adapted to occupy two positions, a withdrawn position and aworking position, a slidable control member which is connectedmechanically to the said element which is to be controlled and finally adriving member operatively connected to said control member fordisplacing it in the one or the other direction, the said control membercomprising arresting surfaces distributed as a number of pairs, the twosurfaces of each pair facing each other, each of the aforesaid mobileabutments cooperating with one pair of the said arresting surfaces, moreprecisely with one or with the other surface of the said pair, dependingon the direction in which the said control member is moving at theinstant when the said abutment comes into its working position, wherebyeach abutment determines two stopping positions of the control member.

References Cited in the file of this patent Sotzky Aug. 20, 1957

